Chapter Thirty- Eight
Rue
They’d had such a fun morning. Monty’s otter was utterly adorable.
His attempts at splashing them failed epically, but it didn’t stop the little guy bringing much hilarity.
They’d spent two hours playing before Kendrick had shifted and lay on his back, floating with Monty’s otter resting on his chest, gesticulating with his paws as if they could understand him.
Rue’s rhino had just enjoyed watching them as they chilled in the water.
It had been longer than Rue could recall since they’d spent so much time in his rhino form.
It made him all the more reluctant to let him shift back when Kendrick pointed out that he had a shift at the bar, and they needed to leave.
It had grumbled and complained, blaming Rue for not asking for what he wanted after he’d discussed with Dad the potential of staying permanently in Bayfield and getting his blessing.
The reasons for being home no longer held for Rue, and Dad had rightly pointed out Rue could use their private jet to take him to and from places he needed to visit for work.
If Rue had notions of Kendrick traveling with him and Monty so they weren’t apart, he’d kept them to himself for now.
Planning was what Rue was good at, he just needed to figure out all the logistics.
It wasn’t very romantic to place all the facts down.
It would, however, prove he was serious about staying—with both men.
The smile he had worn since they’d gotten into the pool to play, dimmed watching Kendrick slip on his jacket to leave as he followed him into the hallway.
“Why the droopy lips?”
He didn’t answer, just kissed Kendrick hard until they were both breathless. “Thanks for this morning, it was wonderful.”
Since they’d gotten home, the part of him that had played let’s pretend that Kendrick wasn’t going anywhere, had to give up.
“It was fun.” Kendrick kissed Rue once more and glanced towards the kitchen, where Monty was banging around. “Monty, I gotta go.”
There was the sound of Monty’s bare feet slapping on the floor before he appeared, flushed, breathless, with smudges of flour on one cheek and his hands. He puckered up, putting his hands behind his back, but Rue didn’t miss the look of disappointment.
Rue watched the care that Kendrick took stroking his thumbs over the sides of Monty’s jaw before he kissed him with the same depth of passion they’d shared.
“I’ll be back by eight.” He nuzzled the size of Monty’s mouth, looking at Rue. “Maybe have a nap, you pair, so we can have some naked playtime later?”
Monty fake yawned. “After someone had me up most of the night and then wouldn’t let me sleep in, I might still be too tired.” He lied badly.
A smile that should be outlawed graced Kendrick’s gorgeous face. “Then I’ll need to work extra hard to keep you awake.”
Monty and Rue groaned in unison. Rue’s sweatpants formed a tent at what that meant.
“See ya later.” Kendrick was gone, the door shutting softly behind him, and Rue's shoulders sagged dejectedly.
“It sucks he has to work,” Monty muttered huffily and then stomped off back to the kitchen.
He wasn’t wrong. It fucking sucked big time. Had Kendrick felt like this when they left him to go to work? He hardly worked early in the morning unless there was a delivery.
Rue strolled into the living room and plonked himself down, analyzing Kendrick’s behavior.
The harder Rue thought on that, the more he would suggest Kendrick got a real kick at doing stuff in his home when they left for work.
His gaze swept the cosy living room. The place was dust free and tidy considering there were three of them living in the house and one being messy Monty, duly nicknamed by Kendrick.
He’d go as far as to suggest their man got a lot of pleasure out of taking care of them, not just the house.
The meals he prepared, even when he couldn’t eat with them, were there in tubs in the refrigerator waiting to be heated. Little sticky notes with messages on. Most with little hearts for a signature. Had Rue tucked a couple in his sock drawer? Why yes, he had.
Was Kendrick hiding his feelings about what he wanted from them long term while living day to day like this wasn’t going to end?
Rue wasn’t a fool not to notice that once he’d faced his fears, what they had going was serious.
They were in a poly relationship. He’d looked into how that worked for marriage.
Legally, Rue could have paperwork created to protect both Monty and Kendrick’s rights regarding him and vice versa.
They could have a ceremony just for them and their families.
Was he jumping the gun? Diving in but potentially finding himself disqualified from the love race.
He didn’t think so when he’d clocked more than one sour expression when Kendrick mentioned he had to leave them. Kendrick liked his job, so it wasn’t a work thing. Rue thought it was a ‘leaving them’ thing.
Rue chewed his lip between his teeth as got up and paced in front of the large screen TV, his mind whirring. Dad and Popi had always worked, even when they’d had children. Bessie was the linchpin that made it all run smoothly, for sure.
He tripped over his own feet as he lurched at the obvious. Could Kendrick be that for them?
Pulse hopping around like he only had one leg, he stared unseeingly at the room. Rue hadn’t considered having a family of his own. Was it possible now? The past barriers to happiness were smashed by love.
He sucked in an unsteady breath and shut his eyes. Could he have it all? He could if he went with what his heart wanted.
Shaking out his hands, his gaze travelled in the direction the noise was coming from.
He was moving before it fully registered as something else struck him.
Monty hadn’t had a heat. He calculated the time they’d been working together.
Was he taking heat blockers? If he were, did that mean he didn’t want children?
Compelled to find out, Rue went stomping to the kitchen. “God Monty, have you been having a baking duel with the invisible man?” Laughter boomed out of him at the frightful mess that would have given Kendrick a heart attack.
Monty at least looked embarrassed as he eyed the counters covered with dirty pots, goo and some substances Rue wasn’t willing to guess at. “I’m making several batches of cookies. Different flavors for the omegas,” he answered, sniffing indignantly. “What do you want?”
The demand, said in a petulant tone, made Rue wary about his reasons for coming into the kitchen. Then his brain went on the fritz. Why else would he blurt out, “When’s your heat due?”
“My heat?” Monty pushed back his bangs, seemingly missing that his hands were covered in goop. “Erm… sometime in December, why? Are you planning a work trip?”
He was frowning as he shifted two bowls of cookie batter to one side, making room for Rue had no clue what, with the sheer number of tubs scattered about.
“No… just curious as I couldn’t remember you requesting time off.”
Monty shrugged that off, concentrating on what he was doing.
“I only have two heats a year and they’re December and January, mating season for otters.
It’s a little inconvenient having them so close together, but then I get ten months in between without worrying about it.
Anyway, it’s on the heat calendar,” he pointed out distractedly, eyeing the bowls.
“Yeah,” Rue replied awkwardly at not thinking about checking that first before starting this conversation. Yet he couldn’t seem to leave it be when he wanted to know if Monty wanted children. He was endearing with Emmy. “Do you… have you…”
Monty glanced at him, his brows tugging together. “Have I what?”
“Wanted a family of your own?” he blurted out, blushing under the scrutiny of Monty’s stare. He was never good at this kind of conversation, so why had he thought this was a good idea?
Monty grabbed a cloth and wiped his hands before tucking it into his sweats pocket, much the same as Kendrick did when he was cooking.
“My kit was quite large, and I was the youngest, so I was pretty much left to my own devices with my parents running the grocery store they own.” He came to a halt in front of Rue.
“I was lonely often. Not neglected as such, just wasn’t anyone's focus unless I was working in the shop. No playtime, no fun stuff, just tired parents always too busy for me. I don’t want that for my children…
I love my work, and it would be selfish to have a child and not put them first. So, having children hasn’t been something I’ve considered will be in my future. ”
Rue hadn’t realized just how lonely Monty must have felt for this to be the reason not to have children. His parents had been selfish. Selfish. The word struck Rue’s heart.
“You don’t want children?” Rue pushed to clarify, his stomach knotting that with his own past issues, he’d somehow missed this vital part of Monty’s past. They’d all talked about their families, but Monty clearly hadn’t burdened them with how he truly felt as a child, left to his own devices.
“I never said that.” Monty’s head tilted, holding Rue’s stare. “What’s this about?”
“If someone was there while you were at work, taking care to make sure our—the child wasn’t lonely, showing they were loved every day, would that make a difference? Like Frey and Booker have with Emmy.”
Monty left teeth impressions on his lower lip, his expression full of so many emotions. “I’m not sure. Emmy comes to work with Frey and Booker, so they can see her anytime they want.”
Rue exhaled gustily. “Okay, consider this, though it is a more nebulous concept. Just hear me out. Popi and Dad have always worked, and I’ve never felt neglected, and I’d say my brothers would say the same.
They found a balance, which your parents don’t seem to have done or considered they needed.
Maybe after having so many children by the time you came along, they didn’t consider the age gap between you and your siblings and that you were alone.
” He was trying to be reasonable in his thinking, despite thinking Monty’s parents were selfish assholes.
“You could say that Bessie was in a throuple with my parents, being at home with us, loving us as a parent would.” Monty’s look of morphing alarm had Rue add quickly, “Not a traditional throuple in any genuine sense. My parents love Bessie, she is a part of the family, taking care of the home while my parents worked. Even now that my parents are retired, she’s there taking care of us. ”
“In this scenario in your head, who do you see as Bessie? Kendrick, because he takes care of us like Bessie?”
Rue was nodding before Monty finished speaking.
“Would it not offend Kendrick to even suggest that he quit work and look after us… a baby full time? A househusband?”
The latter was whispered with hope, and Rue’s heart trembled in his chest at hearing it. “A husband. Two husbands,” Rue murmured, leaping off the cliff edge without a safety net.
“Are you proposing,” gasped Monty, staggering back, eyes wide.
“It wasn’t on today’s agenda, and I’d like something a little more romantic than doing it in this mess.” He went for humor; it was that or blubber when he couldn’t figure if the alarmed expression Monty wore was good or bad.
Monty jabbed a finger. “You’re proposing to me… to Kendrick… you love us!” he squealed, leaping at Rue, who was the one staggering back as he attempted to fend off a grubby Monty who peppered his face with kisses. “This is the best day ever!”
Rue sighed for show as he took hold of a wiggling Monty. “I haven’t proposed yet!” He didn’t deny the love when it would be a lie.
Monty held the sides of his head, transferring goo, and gave Rue a gleeful grin.
“No, but you’re gonna.” He gave him a smacking lipped kiss, then wiggled out of his arms. “My otter has decided you’re ours already, you and Kendrick.
And this morning he was thinking of biting you both.
” Monty looked very bashful as he kicked at some imaginary thing on the ground.
“He insisted I bring it up, so this is me bringing it up.”
Rue’s lower jaw dropped open, his heart racing so fast he felt a wave of dizziness when his rhino released an ear drum shattering trumpet in full agreement to the claiming. “I—”
Yes. The answer is yes.
Do you mind? I was trying to talk!
Monty peered at him, nose wrinkling adorably. “Is your animal being bossy?”
“Yes, he is!”
“So does he want to?”
There was so much hesitation in the words that Rue swept Monty up off the ground, uncaring he was spreading more mess, to look Monty directly in the eye when he answered, so there was no misunderstanding.
“Marriage and mating, in my mind, go hand in hand. We do one, then the other will also happen. Clear?”
Monty pressed their foreheads together. “Very clear.” His lips twitched. “So when is the proposal happening? Would that be before or after my heat?”
“Which would you prefer?” He couldn’t have made himself clearer, what he was offering, and Monty kissed him with all the love that filled Rue’s heart until it felt bigger than the world surrounding him.
By the time he needed to breathe, Monty wore a flush of desire with a dreamy expression. “I’ve some thoughts on that.”
“On what?” Rue’s brow wrinkled in confusion.
“You’re so good for my ego.” Monty giggled in delight. “Kendrick. And how we approach things with him.”
“You do?”
His grin matched the mischievous one Monty sported. “I do…”